Four men are safe after a being rescued from the Chattahoochee River in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Fire Services Captain Tommy Rutledge told AccessWDUN the call came in around 7 p.m. Saturday with a report about the men being stranded on a rock near Bowman's Island in Buford. An engine crew arrived on scene first, but emergency workers were unable to reach or communicate with the men. They then alerted the department's Swiftwater Rescue Team.
Rutledge said the water was at a safe level when the men went out onto the rock, but then, the water release from Buford Dam pushed water levels up and created a current too rapid for safe swimming.
"Gwinnett Fire Boat 1 was able to go out into the river, reach the individuals stranded on the rock and bring them safely to the shore," Rutledge said.
He said the water eventually would have covered the rock.
Rutledge said the department encourages river-goers to pay attention to the changing river conditions and to avoid being on the river during generation times at Buford Dam. Call the National Park Service daily at (855) DAM FLOW or (855) 326-3569 to hear an automated recording of the Buford Dam water release schedule.
AccessWDUN's Rebecca Hubbard contributed to this story.
